Suspension, Lift & Insurance question

I am looking to get a 2011 Silverado 1500 in a couple of months and I want to put a 6" lift on it. I read recently in a 4X4 magazine that there might be some restrictions on lift height and trouble getting a lifted truck insured in California.

There are hundreds of lifted trucks in my town and our localt dealer sells them off the lot, so I am pretty sure that a 6" lift is OK. Can anyone tell how your insurance was affected when you lifted your truck.

Im going to suggest that you talk with your insurance agent since they are the ones who will ultimately be writting up the policy and will know the most about the rules since they do that daily.. I have had to do the same thing with trucks here in MN and wondering what i needed to do differently and most of the time the insurance agent was able to answer my question before i could get it all the way out....

Im going to suggest that you talk with your insurance agent since they are the ones who will ultimately be writting up the policy and will know the most about the rules since they do that daily.. I have had to do the same thing with trucks here in MN and wondering what i needed to do differently and most of the time the insurance agent was able to answer my question before i could get it all the way out....

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Hey Michael, X2 what Murdog said. You can also check your states DMV:grrrrrr:code/rules for this info online. In my state the rule is 36" max from the bottom of the bumpers to the road surface, so if we're 35" 63/64" we're good to go, lol If you're within your states regulations the ins. companies usually give you no trouble.

you will be fine with a 6" lift in Cali, even with how screwed up this state is. plus I have seen many much taller. some cops will push the mud flap thing but the wording on the vehicle code is written very poorly on their side and not too difficult to work out of a mud flap ticket. definately check with your insurance company they should have good answers. my insurance didnt go up, but then again i dont think I told them:rofl:.

27600. No person shall operate any motor vehicle having three or more wheels, any trailer, or semitrailer unless equipped with fenders, covers, or devices, including flaps or splash aprons, or unless the body of the vehicle or attachments thereto afford adequate protection to effectively minimize the spray or splash of water or mud to the rear of the vehicle and all such equipment or such body or attachments thereto shall be at least as wide as the tire tread. This section does not apply to those vehicles exempt from registration, trailers and semitrailers having an unladen weight of under 1,500 pounds, or any vehicles manufactured and first registered prior to January 1, 1971, having an unladen weight of under 1,500 pounds.

Amended Ch. 215, Stats. 1970. Effective November 23, 1970.

There is a maximum vehicle height of 14', but only 13'6" unless roadway specifies 14' height is safe. not sure on lift height as i couldnt find it but I am checking with a cop friend of mine.

24008.5. (a) No person shall operate any motor vehicle with a frame height or body floor height greater than specified in subdivisions (b) and (c).
(b) The maximum frame height is as follows:
[This table lists the maximum frame height for various types of vehicles.] * Vehicle Type Frame Height (1) Passenger vehicles, except housecars23 inches(2) All other motor vehicles, including housecars, as follows:Up to 4,500 pounds GVWR27 inches4,501 to 7,500 pounds GVWR30 inches7,501 to 10,000 pounds GVWR31 inches
(c) The lowest portion of the body floor shall not be more than five inches above the top of the frame.
(d) The following definitions govern the construction of this section:
(1) "Frame" means the main longitudinal structural members of the chassis of the vehicle or, for vehicles with unitized body construction, the lowest main longitudinal structural members of the body of the vehicle.
(2) "Frame height" means the vertical distance between the ground and the lowest point on the frame, measured when the vehicle is unladen on a level surface at the lowest point on the frame midway between the front axle and the second axle on the vehicle.
(3) "GVWR" means the manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating, as defined in Section 390, whether or not the vehicle is modified by use of parts not originally installed by the manufacturer.
* The bracketed information has been added editorially to meet accessibility requirements and is not part of statute.

Amended Ch. 718, Stats. 1987. Effective January 1, 1988.

this site I also found has very good information so that you dont have to dig through the vehicle code like I just did.

ok so maybe last time adding to this post . Measuring mine (6-7" lift) Its currently sitting 21" off the ground so I could legally add another 10" (obviously would have to account for tire height since that will increase the height from ground to frame) of lift and 5" in a body lift. dont think the wife will go for it though. she already says it big enough.

That's some good stuff DS. I notice that Cali uses floor & frame instead or lower edge of bumper, which is a bit more difficult to adjust to pass muster if you are borderline. It's a lot easier to put drop brackets on our bumpers that it is to lower your entire frame lol
The only things I can think of would be letting air out of your tires or just smaller wheels & tires when you visit DMV or your insurance co. I hope OR. doesn't follow suit with Cali.

Mn is 36in above the ground for Bumper height, and the insurance company needs to know about a lift immediately, so they will put it in as a vehicle mod so you will get more for the vehicle if it gets totaled (well that might just me agent taking care of me) i dont lift my trucks, but either way Stephan you are very right that it is WAY harder to cheat when they use the frame rails.

Im going to suggest that you talk with your insurance agent since they are the ones who will ultimately be writting up the policy and will know the most about the rules since they do that daily.. I have had to do the same thing with trucks here in MN and wondering what i needed to do differently and most of the time the insurance agent was able to answer my question before i could get it all the way out....

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Sound advice!

Any insurance company goes by the VIN (and we all know that compnine.com, for example, can tell them how the vehicle came equipped from the factory)... and they base their insurance risk/rates on vehicles so-equipped. If one begins modifying one's vehicle, especially where center-of-gravity, braking, safety & handling, etc. are concerned... and one then gets in an accident... the insurance adjuster may note that such modifications contributed to the accident... and then one's policy could be determined as null & void (since the modifications were NOT what was insured). It's best to to discuss intended modifications with your insurer (and I suggest doing so "in writing" as that gives you PROOF that they approved the modified vehicle... if they actually do so).

I've read that some insurance (why not all?) applications specifically ask if the vehicle has been modified in any way... if it has been modified, and one responds with a NO, then that’s called “material misrepresentation” and voids the policy.

yeah I should call my insurance. never really thought about it when I lifted it thats all. even though Cali goes by frame height its pretty tall. With my 6" and 35's im only at 21" and the max for mine is 31" since my gvwr is 8600. then you can do up to 5" body lift. On the other hand I dont remember the frame height on my old toyota 4x4 the frame was pretty high stock. was much higher off the ground than my z71 was or my current truck was when it was stock.

I think Skyjacker, Superlift and BDS have the states laws on there websites. My Silverado and Suburban both have 6" lifts with 35's. I lived in Florida and now Alabama and have never had a problem with the police or DOT. One thing I did do with my StateFarm agent was to put pictures of my trucks in my agents files and I even took pictures of him in front of his agency with my trucks so they couldn't say they didn't know my trucks were lifted. Just covering my butt. Also there was no differance in my rates over a stock truck.